The Indian women’s cricket team will aim to sharpen its fielding and build on a dominant series-opening win when it takes on Sri Lanka in the second Women’s T20 International on Tuesday.
Returning to international action after their historic World Cup triumph last month, Harmanpreet Kaur’s side cruised to an eight-wicket victory in the first T20I. While India barely broke a sweat with both bat and ball, the performance was not without flaws, as a sloppy fielding display threatened to overshadow an otherwise comfortable outing.
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Harmanpreet calls for improvement as India seek sharper edge
Despite restricting Sri Lanka to a modest 121 for 6, India dropped multiple catches, an area captain Harmanpreet Kaur openly acknowledged needs urgent attention.
“We are working on our fielding. I don’t know why we keep dropping catches. It is wet out here, but that is not an excuse. It’s something we really need to think about, and in the next match we will come with a better approach,” Harmanpreet said after the game.
India had enjoyed a six-week break following their World Cup success before regrouping for a week-long camp at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. Some rustiness was expected, and the skipper believes the team will quickly find its rhythm.
“We are playing after a month. We don’t want to unnecessarily challenge ourselves. We just want to do well as a team. We wanted to bowl first and see how it goes, and show a better approach,” Harmanpreet added.
On paper, India remain overwhelming favourites against the Chamari Athapaththu-led Sri Lankan side. Jemimah Rodrigues continued her rich vein of form, picking up where she left off during the World Cup. She looked in sublime touch and was particularly severe against left-arm wrist-spinner Shashini Gimhani, a rare commodity in women’s cricket, punishing her over-pitched deliveries with a flurry of boundaries.
Another positive for India was 20-year-old left-arm spinner Vaishnavi Sharma, who made a strong impression despite going wicketless. Recently overlooked at the Women’s Premier League auction, Vaishnavi conceded just 16 runs in her four overs and did not allow a single boundary.
The series also holds significance for Shafali Verma, who will be keen to find greater consistency in the shortest format, which suits her aggressive style. With Sri Lanka failing to seriously test India’s batting in the opening match, players like Rodrigues, Harmanpreet and Deepti Sharma will be hoping for tougher challenges as the series progresses — particularly with a demanding tour of Australia looming after the Women’s Premier League.
